By Dolores Smyth
M
om, I’m bored!” Those three words strung together can trigger waves of anxiety and eye-rolls in any parent, especially during the summer months when a child’s daily schedule is wide open while her parent’s is cresting to its fullest. If summer camp isn’t a feasible option, your patience may have peaked to the point where you’re tempted to jump ship and let the kids get glassy-eyed for hours in front of their screen of choice. If you’re looking for another option, look no further than to your own backyard for enjoyable and affordable ways to have summer fun. Here are 6 budget-friendly activities to keep your kids busy having a blast in your own yard. 1. Set up an obstacle course. Backyard obstacle courses are loads of fun, can be easy or elaborate depending on the age of the child, and can consist entirely of objects you already own. For younger children, an obstacle course can include: • Hula hoops to hop in and out of • Buckets to weave around slalom-style • Yoga mats spread on the grass for forward rolls
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• A low balance beam to walk across • Balls to toss into laundry baskets • An inflatable pool to jump into at the end of the course For older kids, a more challenging course can consist of: • Folding tables to crawl under • Planters to jump over • Water balloons to transport by spoon without dropping • Balls to toss into boxes of decreasing size • A hose to knock down items lined up on a table • Newspaper pages to place underfoot with each step while racing across the yard toward the finish line 2. Channel a classic game of lawn Twister. To make a grass-version of this classic game, purchase cans of marking paint in red, blue, yellow, and green from your local hardware store. To create the game grid: • Use a plate to trace a “Twister dot” on a piece of cardboard or poster board. Trace a small circle for the smaller hands and feet of young children or a large circle for older players. Cut the circle out to create a hole in the cardboard or poster board and, voila, you have a Twister dot template. • Place the cardboard or poster board template on the grass and spray paint through the hole in the template to create rows of dots. Be sure to place the dots close enough so that chilMay/June 2019